Local News Articles
“Local Chef Invites Community On Food Journey” Kathleen Shaw
- Adrian Taylor has experience, from some of the top nation’s programs that focus on culinary arts (Shaw, K., DaileyNewsRecord, 2020)
- He further teaches cooking classes to broaden his interested audience in the power of food (Shaw, K., DaileyNewsRecord, 2020).
- He hopes to share his food preparation skills with a larger community (Shaw, K., DaileyNewsRecord, 2020).
- On February 8th, couples can learn how to make a strawberry shortcake for Valentine’s Day, from one of Taylor’s workshops in Harrisonburg (Shaw, K., DaileyNewsRecord, 2020).
“Homemade Flavors and Local Sounds Are A Recipe For Community Bonding” Kathleen Shaw
- In 2019, Gray Jay market and diner is known for selling their comfort food, with homemade sourdough bread sandwiches, hot soups, and fresh tater-tots (Shaw, K., DailyNewsRecord, 2019).
- In July, Pizza and Tunes was implemented in this diner as a novel attempt to bring in business (Shaw, K., DailyNewsRecord, 2019).
- Dining and dancing, including musicians on Friday’s, is the event that takes place at Gray Jay (Shaw, K., DailyNewsRecord, 2019).
- This menu features sourdough crusted pizza, tater tots, soup, salad, and apple tarts.
- This night features music, pizza, and a five-course tasting menu with wine pairings (Shaw, K., DailyNewsRecord, 2019).
- Admission for this event is free, and will be held at Gray Jay Provisions, located at 1311 S High Street (Shaw, K., DailyNewsRecord, 2019).
Monitoring Social Media
“The tournament is open to any restaurant, butcher shop, brewery, winery or food industry business.”
-Autumn Olive Farms
Open to all guardians and children, the annual Sweetheart Dance is this Saturday. Come to Bella Luna with your little miss or mister for an early dinner!
“The first Chef’s Hike Healthy Eating for the New Year class went great and participants learned a lot from local chef Adrian Taylor…Register today for the upcoming Quick and Easy Strawberry Shortcake class taking place this Saturday!”
-Harrisonburg Parks on Twitter
Industry News:
34K chickens die in farm fires in North Carolina, Virginia https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/34k-chickens-die-in-farm-fires-in-north-carolina-virginia/2020/01/27/aaddb50e-4104-11ea-99c7-1dfd4241a2fe_story.html
https://wtvr.com/2020/01/27/chicken-farm-fires/
- On Friday January 24, 2020 in Rockingham County, a chicken farms barn started burning at 3:30pm.
- It is believe approximately 24,000 chickens died in the fire and 10,000 more died in a fire in North Carolina the day before.
- The farm was located in Fulks Run, Virginia, only 30 minutes from Harrisonburg.
This recent event may have a significant impact on Bella Luna’s pricing or usage of chicken on the menu. While there are many providers of chicken or poultry in the valley this fire may have significant consequences on the prices of local chicken. With Bella Luna’s idea and goal to be a farm to table restaurant this local farms tragedy could affect their future and current menu.
After a 20-year hiatus, Little Caesars is delivering pizza again https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/01/06/little-caesars-rolling-out-new-delivery-service/2794754001/
- On Monday January 6, 2020 Little Caesars Pizza is delivering pizza once again at 90% of their store locations, including their Harrisonburg location.
- There will be no minimum charge for delivery service as way to “keep in line with their brand” of being affordable.
- To launch their delivery service, they had a Super Bowl ad with Rainn Wilson or better known as Dwight from the Office to promote its return.
- On their site, they claim it saves you $5 on delivery pizza over competitors.
With Little Caesar’s already having an established location in Harrisonburg they’re a direct competitor of Bella Luna. Their reentry into the delivery industry may draw more college students and customers who are trying to enjoy pizza on a budget away from Bella Luna’s more high end but expensive pizza’s. This could affect the local pizza industry by having another pizza vendor delivering pizza in this college town. If Bella Luna is to keep up with many other vendors, they may want to look into a delivery service for their customers.
Carryout Is Now Key to This Top Pizza Chains Growth Strategy
Carryout Is Now Key to This Top Pizza Chain’s Growth Strategy
- In a recent analysis and report Dominos has stated that 45% of their US transactions have been carryout. This represents ⅓ of their sales.
- This has been mostly due to their offer of a large three topping pizza for $7.99 carryout.
- Another factor has been their loyalty program which now has 23 million users and is growing thanks to those who use the carryout feature often.
- A final factor increasing their carryout rates and customer loyalty has been due to their digital sales and app usage increasing, making it easier for customers to order ahead.
Domino’s has 2 locations in Harrisonburg, one off of East Market Street and the other of South Main. Their increase in sales through online services and option for ordering ahead for carryout has helped increase their already monolithic presence in the pizza industry. Being a carryout service makes them an ideal vendor and provider for college students in the Harrisonburg area. They’re online services give them a leg up on many other pizzerias including Bella Luna, specifically their order ahead and pick up service. If Bella Luna is to keep up with many other vendors, they may want to look into order ahead services.
Advisory Comment: Many competitors are expanding the typical restaurant experience for the upcoming holiday. Bella Luna should consider adding to the ‘experience’ of eating at their restaurant. For example, partnering with another downtown business, like a spa, and doing a “dinner date bundle.” This will not only increase sales on Valentine’s Day, but be the romantic experience couples are looking for. They could also offer a take-out meal for those who want a romantic night in. It could be advantageous to throw an event that would engage the community like a contest for a free couples meal voucher for either option.
5oodies.food.blog 